New Member
by Th3RedPyro
Summary: RED is getting a new class and member to their team. What class will it be this time? and what will this new member be like? Follow the new member and the REDs as things start to unfold.
1. Joining RED

**A/N: here is the 1** **st** **Chapter of my "first" Story. I'm not good at accents, but I'll do my best (help will be much appreciated). Any foreign language in this story will have the translations at the bottom. Characters in the story might be OOC because I don't know them that well. This might be an AU. Also, I can't really do Pyro's mumbled speech. Pyro is the Main Character (MC), so when he talks, it will be in the first person and bolded (see Text Guide). Btw, all the classes will have their Stock/Default weapons. Pyro too, but will also have his flare gun. I am new to playing TF2, so there will be very little parts where they are out fighting and more parts where they are in ceasefires. Sorry about that. TTnTT**

 **In this story, Pyro will be: Male, 22**

 **(There have been too many stories with Pyro being female, so I decided to have Pyro be male, k) Everything about the MC is made-up. Such as: name, age, origin. (That part could be mine, I guess. idk. :T)**

 **Text Guide:**

 **Talking (no mask):** "Text." **Pyro Talking (mask on):** **Text.** **Foreign Language Example (Spanish) + Translation:** " _Pongo un ejemplo aquí._ " **[Translation:** Put an example here. **]**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything TF2 related.**

 **Enjoy! :D**

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 **Chapter 1:** Joining RED

[México, Time: 8:00a.m.]

My alarm clock goes off and I hit the button to turn it off, displeased with the noise. I sit up quickly, but sluggishly walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take my daily pill. Before getting out of the motel room I was staying in, I dressed myself in black boots, blue jeans, a black shirt under a dark red hoodie with a fire hazard symbol on the back, an orange scarf, and black tinted sunglasses. Locking the door and put the key back in my pocket I put my hood over my head and put my sunglasses on. I yawned as I walked lazily to the motel's main office to pick up any mail that has been left for me. Entering the office, I covered my mouth with my scarf because the A/C was on and walked up to my mailbox to open it, finding it empty. I sighed sadly. No mail today, huh?

"Hey, you here to pick up your mail?" said José, the manager behind the main office's desk.

"How'd you know that?" I said with surprise. This is the first time he's asked me that. He knows I always check my mail every day. I walk up to the desk, so I don't have to raise my voice and bother any other people around the spacious main office, who also stay at the Motel.

"You always come here, at this exact time, to check your mail." José smiled, reminiscing happily. José knew this young man always came in the main office at this time and took it upon himself to hold onto his mail for him, since he's his longest staying resident. But one thing though, the only mail the young man had that day was… one red envelope.

Looking dumbfounded, I said observantly, "Have I become that predictable?" Lately, unbeknownst to me, have fallen into a routine day in and day out. "I guess so. I am usually the one here in the main office, but I do occasionally have someone take my place here once in a while." José answered honestly.

Before José forgets, he hands the young man the only mail sent to him through the mail. "This was the only thing in your mailbox today. Don't you think it's odd that you get a red envelope? I mean, it's probably from someone that is sending you an invite." What am I invited to? "I don't think it's an invitation." I said in disbelief. Grabbing the envelope opener near the mailbox, I cut open the red envelope, hoping that it wasn't actually an invitation. Opening the envelope wider, I looked inside and saw a white letter neatly folded inside. Taking out the envelope, I opened it carefully and begin to read it:

 _Hello, my name is Miss Pauling. Someone from Reliable Excavation Demolition- or RED, for short… will arrive at your location to pick you up and bring you to New México, where you will take our train to Teufort. All new recruits always arrive at Teufort by train… consider it an initiation that both RED and BLU must be a part of. Upon boarding the train, there will be a crate with your class emblem on it and inside it will be your Pyro uniform. He will be there at 9:00a.m.. You have what Team Fortress Industries needs and will be the 9_ _th_ _class joining the RED Team. There are 9 classes: Medic, Heavy, Engineer, Spy, Sniper, Demoman, Soldier, Scout, and finally… Pyro- which will be the class you'll be hired for as a mercenary and will get paid. Upon your arrival, you will meet, RED Engineer, one of your teammates. He will take you to a location where you will meet me in person to sign the contract of employment to RED. Once you enter RED base, you will meet Engineer again and he will give you a tour around the base. At the end of your tour, he will show you your class's stock weapons, a locker space, and give you your key to the room you'll be staying in. When you finish unpacking your things, a meeting will take place inside the RED base's meeting room- which you should now know where it is, since it is included in the tour- for introductions. Any of the available information I have not given will be explained by one or more of your newfound teammates. Also, the information not provided by me or your teammates is strictly classified and will not be specified to anyone outside TF Industries._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Miss Pauling_

 _The Administrator's Assistant_

 _TF Industries_

9:00a.m.?... What time it? Looking at the clock, I notice its 8:30a.m.. Good. I still have time to pack my things. I re-read the letter a few more times to make sure this was real and also noticed a circle with a flame inside it. Is that my Pyro class emblem? I guess it is, if I'm the Pyro. The part time job I had at the fire station ended… yesterday. Did they know I currently had no job? Nah. Couldn't be… right? "Looks like I've been hired. I need to start packing… this guy at the place I'll start working at is picking me up soon." Taking the letter with me, I start walking back to my room. "Well, good luck with your new job!" José called out, making sure he could be heard. When I get to my room, I look at the alarm clock on my nightstand and see I have 25 minutes left until whoever is coming is supposed to pick me up.

By the time I've packed all my belongings, I check the alarm clock again and see I have 10 minutes until it becomes 9. So I took 15 minutes to gather all my things? Well, I do want to make sure I didn't forget anything. I take one last look before leaving my room one last time. Before going back to the main office to drop off my motel room key, I look at the letter one more time, but this time I see something I must have overlooked, a smaller piece of paper other than the letter from this Miss Pauling person. Taking it out, I opened it and begin reading:

 _Oh… and one more thing: Any clothing that you bring that you wish to wear will only be allowed during ceasefire only. Your uniform, clothing, and or hats from TF Industries are allowed during all matches. Don't worry about your uniform; it comes with a gas mask that'll hide your face perfectly. It's up to you if you want to show your face._

 _P.S._

 _The one picking you up knows to look for someone who has his face covered and is by the main office of the Motel._

 _-Miss Pauling_

As I read this, I walked to the main office to save some time, instead of just standing there to read it and then walk to the main office. By the time I made it to the main office, I finished reading the note and put it back in the envelope. "Hey, José, I'm returning my room key." I said sadly. "I'm going to miss you, my friend. If they let me… I'll be sure to write to you." I smiled reassuringly. "That's good to know. I'll miss you, too." Said José hesitantly, hoping that this young man will be able to write to him.

"What time is that guy coming to pick you up?" questioned José, looking at the clock, seeing it was 8:58a.m.. "9a.m., why?" remembering that it was close to 9 when I last checked, I looked up to see it was one minute to 9. My eyes widen with concern, but I quickly calm myself because I realized that it wasn't a big deal. This guy who will be arriving might either come on time or be a few minutes late, depending on the traffic. Already walking outside the main office with my luggage in tow, I randomly said while not looking back, "The letter said this guy will be looking for me outside the main office." Deciding to look behind me now, I see José pointing at something. Following where he pointed, I saw one of those campervans come into the Motel's entrance. When I am out of the main office, the campervan pulls up right in front of me and then stops. "G'day." said the man inside the campervan, waving to me from inside. "Hurry and put your things in the back and then hop on in next to me, mate.", the man smiles weakly with a hint of impatience, not even trying to do his best to give a good first impression, ignoring what Spy and a few other of his teammates have advised him to do.

Giving him a thumbs-up, I walk to the back of his camper and opened the door. As I put my things inside someplace where it won't bump around as he drives, I didn't check to see what he had because I wanted to respect his personal space. Swiftly walking to the passenger door, so he wouldn't have to wait long, I got inside. Facing the one who is the owner of this campervan, I waited for him to introduce himself.

"Hi. Oi'm Sniper." Greeted the man, offering his right hand for a handshake, waited for me to shake it back. When I don't shake his hand, he puts his right hand back on the steering wheel and begins driving away. I quickly looked to see José waving good-bye… I try to wave bye too, but he probably didn't see it because Sniper's campervan turned as I was about to wave back to José.

Sniper stops at the exit of the Motel's lot that leads to a two-way road. Going left would lead you into town, while going right would lead you in the direction out of the states, since the Motel I stayed at was the closest to México's northern border. Before Sniper turns right, he feels that he should say something to ease his mind. "Its alroight if ya didn't want to shake me hand. Clearly you're not the handshaking type." Sniper chuckled, obviously trying to hide that he's uncomfortable right now. Not knowing what to do to pass the time, I just stay quiet and look through the window on my side, enjoying the view it provided me. Since I was bored, all I did was count whatever there were multiples of such as cars and people to keep myself preoccupied.

Sniper soon figured out that I wasn't much of a talker, so he relaxed a bit and was glad to find another person who didn't mind not talking, unlike Soldier or even the Scout. After a few days have gone by, stopping for food, gas, and rest along the way, we finally reached TF Industries' private train station that goes directly to Teufort… and stopped his camper. "Ok, mate. We have arrived at th-", looking over at me as he said this, he was surprised I'd fallen asleep. One thing about driving with another person who is also quiet as you, you can't tell if they went to sleep, unless that person snored. Apparently, this new teammate doesn't snore, which was another thing he found out, Sniper observed. "Wake up, mate. Ya got enough sleep already." Is there an earthquake? Slowly waking up, I notice there wasn't an earthquake, but the Sniper shaking my shoulder.

Shaking my head a little to get rid of any tiredness, I finally look at him. Grabbing the notepad and pen I have in my hoodie's pocket, I wrote down 'Sorry… didn't get much sleep last week. Wanted to make-up for it.' While he reads my first message, I look at my surroundings before I write again. 'Have we arrived?' "Yeah. That train there will take ya to the base. Oi won't be joinin' you, as you probably already know, roight?" I nod. "Good. Now, you go grab your things and board the train and oi'll meet you at the base." I nod again and hugged him before leaving the passenger side. Sniper felt surprised and a bit embarrassed from the unexpected hug. After I got out of his camper, I didn't go get my bags yet and had turned around, knowing that Sniper would probably say something about me hugging him… and waited.

"…Was that a 'thank you' hug?" Sniper finally said after noticing that I hadn't gone to get my bags just yet. Called it, I thought, while grinning behind the scarf covering my mouth. I gave him a shrug and a nod as my reply to him instead of writing in my notepad that I now placed back into my hoodie's pocket, since I have nothing else to say. A minute later after he didn't say anything more, I went to the back of his camper and grabbed my bags. Instead of passing to the right of his vehicle where the passenger side is, I decided to go to the left say my final good-bye before I left to go onto the train and meet him at the base later. I went to his window and tapped on it. I know I'll see him at the base, but you never know if it'll be the last time you see someone you've just met. Something could happen to him as he drives to the base. Sniper looks at the window I just tapped, see me wave at him and he waves back.

Now entering the train's cargo hold, I find it mostly empty except for some crates. Walking up to one, I find that the crate's height is up to my hips. One of the workers for the train shows up right outside the cargo hold I am in and tells me that they are departing in a minute as he closes the door to the cargo hold door. And, that I should ready myself for when they start moving, so that I don't fall on my butt from the sudden movement of the train. Doing as the guy says, I place my bags next to the crate and sit down, leaning my back against the crate so I can relax.

After about 10 minutes in after the train had started moving, I took out the red envelope I had gotten before all this started and reread it again, so that I didn't miss anything. Doesn't hurt to double or triple check things, right? After reading it, I put back the envelope in my bag and looked behind me at the crate I was leaning on, wondering if this was the crate Miss Pauling was talking about. Now standing, I looked at that crate, but each crate carefully as to not miss what she said in the letter. When I looked at the last crate, I saw a circle with an image that looks like fire. That must be my emblem, My Pyro emblem, that lets everyone know that I am the Pyro. Now that I think about it, nothing else would fit more than what it is now- but… what about the other classes? There are several different images that could represent their class. Guess I'll find out which one they have once I meet all of them. I already have an idea of what theirs could be, but it may not be what I have thought when I get there.

Without something to help me open the crate, it took me almost fifteen minutes, but I finally was able to open my crate. The top made a loud noise as it fell onto the cargo hold floor. Looking inside and true to Miss Pauling's word, my uniform is in there, neatly folded and the gas mask on top of it. First, I took out the gas mask to get a closer look. I turned it around to look at the perfectly made gas mask. This is the most high quality gas mask I've ever seen. Better than the ones I've used in the past. Setting aside the gas mask, I now take out my new uniform, but almost drop it when the train begins to slow down. No time to admire how great my new uniform is, huh? Oh, well. I begin to quickly take off my clothes and leave only my boxers and tank top on, since the asbestos suit will keep me warm. I neatly fold my clothes and put them in my bag before I quickly put on my uniform. After three minutes, I finally have it all on, except for the gas mask because I wouldn't have been able to fit my head through the neck hole of the suit. Now feeling that the train has completely stopped, I put on the gas mask… but after it's on for a minute or two, something weird happens. Everything around me changes. I no longer find myself in a dull colored cargo hold, but instead I'm in a hollowed out brownie with white frosting on the walls. The crate I found my uniform in is now a red present with white ribbon. Just as it came, it was gone and I no longer saw it as it became a normal cargo hold again.

What did I just see? Was it real or not?

Many questions start popping in my head of what had just occurred, but suddenly I was pulled from my thoughts as the door to the cargo hold opens.

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 **A/N: Since this is taking place in México atm, what they say should be in Spanish, but to make it easier on me and you guys… I have put it in English. When he's not in México and he speaks to others without his mask and is speaking Spanish, I will be putting the words what it's supposed to be at the bottom. The list of classes in the letter is the order of which, in my story, have arrived at RED base.**

 **P.S. I am so sorry it has taken me so long. I'll try to do my best to post my stories asap. :(**


	2. Meet the REDs, Part 1

**A/N: Here is Chapter 2. This took me 2 days to do, which is really quick, for me. I must have had a lot of creative juices running through my mind to finish this chapter that quickly.**

 **(Update):**

 **Since the ways I've tried to help distinct Pyro's speech from everyone else's didn't help, I have found another way- I hope it helps.**

 **Text Guide (Pyro speaking):**

 **With mask: "Text."**

 **Without mask:** "Text."

 **Without mask + Speaking in native language (Spanish):** " _Text._ "

 **Translations will be next to the words(muffled speech + native language)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything TF2 related.**

 **Enjoy~!**

Chapter 2: Meet the REDs, Part 1

When the cargo doors open, I was greeted by one of the train workers. He didn't say anything and just stood there, waiting for me to get off, I guess. I took my things and climbed off the train, my boots now touching dirt; I notice right away that it is sunnier over here than back at where that sniper guy dropped me off. For some reason, though, the lenses on this gas mask seem like really powerful sunglasses because when I look directly at the sun, it doesn't hurt my eyes and the sun just looks like a tiny dot on the sky. I stopped looking at the sun and looked to my left when I hear footsteps getting quieter, I see the train worker walking away from me towards the front of the train. I guess he's too busy with his train stuff to say bye to me… that was impolite of him. Anyways, taking my mind that, I begin to look at my surroundings. Behind me was the train, of course. A few feet away from me is a four foot wooden fence that followed the train and an opening, so people can pass. By the looks of it, it's in desperate need of repairs. Past that fence was nothing special, just an endless view of desert and plants that belong th- wait, what's that in the distance?

I squinted, trying to see it better, but failed because it was too far away. I realized just then that I was alone and that the person I was supposed to meet wasn't here. There were a few boards from the fence laying next to it, so I gathered it up and used it as makeshift seat and sat down. As I waited for the person to pick me up, I used a stick I found to draw random things in the dirty. By the time I finally hear a car coming, I had already drawn five things. I dropped the stick and looked to where I heard the car noise, there was a red truck getting closer by the minute. It took about five minutes before it finally reached me. I was glad I didn't have to wait that long because the heat was beginning to bother me. You'd think that once I have the suit on, that I'd be really hot inside it after ten minutes, but no. Maybe the one I'm wearing is different than other fire-retardant suits.

The truck passed by me, did a U-turn, and stopped a foot in front of me, so the driver's side was facing me. From where I was sitting, it was kinda hard to see the driver, so I stood up, now seeing who it was. The guy in the driver seat wore a hardhat, black goggles, a red button down long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and hint of a white shirt underneath, and brown overalls- if the straps on his shoulders were anything to go by. As the man began to roll down his window, I kneeled down next to my bag and took out the letter that sent me here, I walking up to the truck to show the guy the letter.

"Howdy there, partner. Sorry ah'm late… what's that ya got there?" He takes the letter out of my hand and took a moment to read it. "Looks like the letter ah got when they recruited me, except it's for you. Why ya showin' this to me?" I looked at the letter and skimmed through it until I found what I was looking for, reaching my hand into the truck's open window towards the letter and pointed to the words, _RED Engineer_. " **Mmrh yehr mmeh RHMM Enmehmr?** " (Are you the RED Engineer?) After I asked that, I went from pointing to the letter, to pointing to him. My now big round black eyes stared at him, hoping he was the right guy because I didn't want to wait forever; I was starting to get hungry.

"Uh… not sure what you said, but ah get what yer tryin' to say, ah think. Yes, ah am RED Engineer. Ah'm here to pick you up and drop you off where you'll meet Miss Pauling, in person. Don't worry though, partner. Ah'll be seein' you again to give you a tour of the base, that's where you'll be stayin', by the way." I made a happy noise, glad that he made it. I tried to tell him that I was hungry, but he must've mistaken it for impatience. He looks at his watch and looks back at me. "Better get in. You're supposed to meet Miss Pauling in ten minutes, but because ah was late getting' here, ah'll have to rush in order to make it there in time, so don't be alarmed by my speedin'." I nod. Walking around the front of the truck to the passenger side door, I opened it and got inside, placing my bag between us. After I buckled in, he quickly drove to where Miss Pauling was. Engineer apologized to me when I gave a surprised noise at the sudden pace he drove at, despite already warning me he was going to do so.

When we were really close to the building, he began slowing down a bit. By the time we made it in front of the building, there was exactly thirty seconds left. I quickly waved bye to him as I grabbed my bag and exited the truck. He told me to hurry, but his reasoning why was lost to me when I entered the building. Thank goodness this place wasn't really big or have many floors, or else I would've been late because I had gotten lost. I called out to Miss Pauling and a moment later, she came out of a room. "Wow! You made it right on time." She looks at me from my boots to my head. "That fire-retardant suit is a little baggy on you in some areas, but other than that, it fits you well. Come in this room, I need you to sign your contract right away. The Administrator can get really impatient sometimes… she just called me a few minutes before you arrived here."

I followed her into the room she came out of when I called out to her. Inside the room, there was only a desk and two chairs, one behind the desk and one in front of it. The one behind the desk looked like it was made for someone important, while the chair in front of the desk was a simple metal chair that can be folded in half with a padded cushion where you sit on. Taking a seat, I put my hands on my lap and intertwined my fingers, fiddling with thumbs as I sat there. I watch her as she walked around the desk and at in the important chair, taking out what I assume to be the contract out of a drawer from the desk and place it on the desk in front of me. "As you might know, you'll need to sign this contract before you can officially start working at RED. You can read it if you want before signing or you could just sign it without reading it. It's up to you."

Right when I picked up the pen, the feeling I had back in the train's cargo I rode in came back. Actually, it kept fading in and out as I rode along with Engineer on the way over to the building where Miss Pauling is at. It was instantly gone when I exited his truck, but now… it was back again. Everything around me changed into candy, cute thing, and bright cheerful colors. I tried my best to ignore it as I inched closer to the contract and signed it. What felt like a moment later, everything went back to normal, but something was different. I blinked several times before I realized that I was looking at the ceiling. The ceiling? Just as I realized I was looking at the ceiling, I also found out I was laying on my back. I sat up, trying to figure out what happened, when I noticed my lighter to the right of me. Didn't I put that in my suit's front pouch? I stood up and walked over to my lighter, bending down and picking it up, I then notice Miss Pauling hiding behind the left side of the desk, holding a pistol that is aimed at me.

I tilt my head to one side in confusion. " **wehush wmphg? Whm uhr yuh hudda huh uhm mmeh?** " (What's wrong? Why are you pointing that at me?) After I said that, Miss Pauling seemed to relax and lowers her gun, putting it back where she hid it on her person. "You dropped the pen and took out your lighter, proceeding to light it on fire. I managed to take the lighter away from you and insisted that you sign the contract, which- after I put out the tiny fires on it- you did sign. Well, after you signed, you quickly grabbed your lighter out of my hand…" I stopped listening for a moment to process what she'd said. Why did I do that? I've never grabbed things out of peoples' hands like that before. Thinking back… all I remember, from what she told me, was Miss Pauling taking one of my favorite toys away from me and wanting it back, while also wanting little rainbows on some paper and putting my name on it.

Looking back at her, I notice that she was still talking; I caught the last few sentences she said. "… Sorry, it's just that I should be used to this, since I've had the other eight come here, like you are now… but none of them was as- fiery- as you before." She composes herself before grabbing the singed contract and puts it in a briefcase before heading out the room's door. "Follow me, Pyro. I'll be taking you to where you'll be staying until further notice." I followed her like she told me to, back outside and around the corner of the building, where I saw… a moped. How am I going to ride with her on that, if there is only one seat? I gave her my best questioning look as I pointed to the moped, but it just turned out to be me tilting my head while pointing to the moped. As she puts on her helmet, she looks at me, seeing what I was attempting to convey to her. I see her look at her moped and back to me; she does this several times before crossing her arms, one of them touching her chin in thought. "I see what you're getting at here, Pyro. Hmmm…" After about three minutes, she spoke again. Perhaps she was thinking of a way for me to ride her moped. "Wait here. I think there might be something inside that'll help." Not even bothering to get some form of response from me, she went back inside the building.

I waited about ten minutes when she came back to her moped. She had brought back some items and began to do something to the metal frame thing that is used to put luggage or whatever. Miss Pauling moved as quickly as she could, and in no time, she was finished with whatever she was doing. "Tada! I've made another seat out of the things I've found. Now, hop on, I'm taking you to RED Base. Engineer is letting the others know you're coming." I walk up to the moped, inspecting the makeshift seat she made and nod in approval. I wouldn't want to sit in something unstable, you know. Miss Pauling sat on her moped, handing me an extra helmet as she did, waiting patiently for me to get on too. Once I placed the helmet she gave me on my head, I made sure to hold onto her waist, since there weren't any seatbelt attachments on the moped.

"Ready?" I gave her a thumbs-up. "Good… off we go!" Miss Pualing turns on her moped and we start towards the RED Base.

 **A/N: I tried my best at doing the muffled-ness of Pyro. Was it ok or was it meh?**

 **This would've been longer, but I've been getting Reviews wanting an update on my stories, so I agreed… and decided to put parts in this story (maybe others too. Idk). Reading your guys' positive reviews makes me so happy**

 **[Btw, I made a Forum. Please check it out. I need your guys' help, ok.]**

 **Thanks for reading and please review.**


	3. Meet the REDs, Part 2

**A/ N: So, same like I said in my other story's author's notes, how I handle Pyro's speech will be changed into a much easier way for reading and understanding.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything TF2 related, except my own canon for my Pyro.**

 **Anyways…**

 **Sorry for the wait. Here is the next chapter.**

 **Enjoy~**

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Chapter 3: Meet the REDs, Part 2

It took me and Miss Pauling about an hour and a half to reach the RED Base she mentioned. As she was driving me there, I got to see more of what New México looked like. There wasn't anything new about it compared to México. Everything pretty much looks the same, unlike what I thought it would look like with healthy green grass and updated buildings. Before even reaching the RED Base, she had to drive her way through a small town called Teufort. How do I know? Well, she has been talking to me non-stop. As I looked around to admire the town, I could see the townsfolk going about their own business, only some of them did look our way as we passed by.

Once we got there, I got off of Miss Pauling's moped and grabbed my suitcase, holding it in my right hand as I took in the sight of what laid before me- my new job and home for who-knows-how-long. After Miss Pauling takes off her helmet and gets off of her moped, she walks up to me. "You wait here while I go find Engineer. He'll be the one to give you a tour of the base and show you to your room, so you can settle in before you meet your new teammates." I watch Miss Pauling go into the building near where she parked her moped. At this point, I just stood there waiting for her to come back. After about two minutes in, however, I got bored and decided to look around where I stood, busying myself until she and this Engineer guy comes back.

First, I look at the building I'll be staying for the foreseeable future. It's red, like the same color of my uniform. This building is made out of wood, which goes well with the red color. Second, I soon turn my attention to the bridge I saw as we came and saw that this bridge is made of wood too. It has a roof cover, most likely for shade than for rain because it looks like no rain ever comes here. Next, I look past the bridge to see another building on the other side of it. It looks like the red building, but this one is blue and it looks to be made out of stone. I looked at every inch of the front of this blue building and when I looked at the second floor, I saw someone by one of the glassless windows, but before I could get a good look at this person, I felt something touch my shoulder. I flinch and give a short gasp of surprise, dropping my suitcase on the ground unintentionally.

"Easy there, partner. Didn't mean t'give y'all a scare there."

The thing on my arm goes away once that voice finished speaking, however, that voice… I've heard it once before. I quickly turn around to see who it belongs to and find it is the same guy that took me to see Miss Pauling; And, Miss Pauling standing right next to him. I tried to think what his name was again, but having met this guy only once, I have forgotten it. I tilt my head in confusion. **"Um… What was your name again? I forgot."** The guy in the hardhat gives me a bewildered look, clearly not understanding what I said. I sighed as I thought to myself that this barrier of communication will become an annoyance real fast, but knowing me, I'll soon get over it and either find another way or not even bother and let them find a way to understand me.

Miss Pauling spoke up, having it be her turn to talk, while it looks like the hardhatted guy is trying to figure out what I said seconds ago. She must have ignored what I was saying because what she says next made it obvious. "So, a few things have come up while I was getting Engineer. So, as he gives you the tour of the base, I'll be busy." And with that, I watch Miss Pauling go back into the base. It looks like she never gets a break, poor Miss Pauling.

Going over what she said through my head, I realize Miss Pauling mention the hardhatted guy's name. Oooh… so that's his name, I thought to myself. Wait a minute... that doesn't seem right. Engineer doesn't sound like a normal name. I think back to the letter Miss Pauling gave me and it says I am the Pyro, but that isn't my name. Is it… a nickname or work name me and the others have to be called now? I mentally shrugged. I'll just ask him this later.

"Well, ah don't know 'bout you, but ah think it's time for that tour now. Come on." He gestures for me to follow him inside, while turning around and heading towards the base. Before I do follow him, I look once more at the same spot where I saw that mysterious person I thought was looking at me, but find that there wasn't anyone there. Once inside, this Engineer guy first takes me to this one room that has wooden lockers that don't have doors to them. The job that I had before this new one here were metal and not wood, plus it had doors. I gave a quick look around the room and saw there wasn't anything interesting to look at, except the lockers and maybe this metal closet. The lockers seem more interesting, so I decided to look at it second and look what's inside the metal closet first. I walk up to one and before I open it, I see two pictures on the doors- one with a red plus sign on it and the other… I'm not sure what that even is.

Just then, right as I was reaching for one of the doors to see the inside, his voice spoke up and made my hand pause right in front of the metal closet's handle. "That there is the resupply cabinet." I turn to look at him and see he's walking towards me and stops right next to the cabinet in front of me. He pats the side of the cabinet then continues talking. "Now, from this here, we all can heal up when Doc ain't around." I see him point to the red plus sign. "… and we can reload our ammo if we get low or run out of ammo." Then he points to the other picture. It all makes sense now. The picture that I didn't know what it was was in fact three bullets. I place my hand on the picture, moving my hand on it like I'm trying to wipe dust off it. Removing my hand, I opened both doors and looked at everything. It was exactly as Engineer said.

I hear steps moving and when I look to see where I saw Engineer last, he wasn't there anymore. I began to panic a little. Did he leave me alone and abandon the tour he was supposed to be my guide of the base or-? "… Over here, pal." I quickly turn around to see that Engineer hadn't left, which made me relieved because this base is still new and unfamiliar to me. Giving a short tilt of my head, I go to stand next to him. **"Yeah?"**

"Since we're here in what we like t'call the respawn room, ah think now is the perfect time t'show ya what y'all be usin' when we go fight BLU- that is the blue buildin' ya saw when ya got here, by the way. Anyways, we'll tell ya more about who BLU is later, y'hear?" I just keep nodding to let him know I understood. For some reason he seems to get off topic, telling what I assume is a related story about the people over at that blue building, so I tapped his shoulder and pointed to the lockers to remind him. "… Oh! Sorry there, Pyro. Where was I? Oh, right!" He smiles. "Thanks. Now, this here…" He walks over to the left side of the lockers and gestures at the last locker. "This here is yer locker now… and these too." I observe as he takes out three weapons out of my new locker and place them on a bench, making sure to space them out on it; He points to each in turn as he tells me about each one. I look at all three of them one at a time. First, is an axe. I've seen these before back at the fire station where I last worked before getting this new job in New México. Next, is some kind of long gun- that, I at least know. I had lived in only a few places in México and I've only come across just a few types of guns, but not this one that lies on the bench in front of me. And last, is- what is that?

Few seconds later, a hand waves in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. That last one really got me thinking of my past. When that hand crossed my vision though, it distracted me and pushed those thoughts back into my mind- forgotten, for now. "Y'all alright, partner? Ya kinda spaced out there, ah reckon." I looked around to get my bearings and find that I am still in the same spot, while Engineer had moved to stand right next to me. " **Yeah, just fine… I think."** Engineer nods and moves to the other side of the bench. "Ah'm gonna take that as a yes. Like ah was sayin', ah'm gonna explain each of yer weapons just in case yer not sure how they work." He picks up the axe first. "This here is an axe. Ya probably've seen this already and know what to do with it, so ah'm not gonna waste time explainin'. Well, except that this'll be one out of three weapons y'all be carryin' with ya when fightin' them BLUs and that this is yer melee weapon." I see him place the axe back into my locker, instead of back on the bench. Next, He picks up the long gun. "This here is called a shotgun." I observe as he does something with the- shotgun- and takes out a red and gold thing. "This is what the ammo for this here shotgun looks like. And this…" He puts the ammo in a different way than he did to take it out. "… is how ya load it." He suddenly tosses me the shotgun, which I almost didn't catch, fumbling it for a bit before finally getting a good grip on it and not falling to the floor. I sighed in relief, hugging the shotgun close to me, at first. Then, I hold it properly before confronting Engineer about his suddenness. **"** **Hey! Why'd you go and do that for?!"**

Again, his face showed his confusion, except this time it didn't last as long as it did earlier. Engineer must have been paying attention to me more this time around becausee what he says next confirms it, I think. "… Sorry. Probably should'a warned ya. Thought ya saw it comin', but ah guess ah misjudged, since ah can't see yer eyes." He explains a few more things about the shot gun before doing the same, just like with the axe. Next, I see him take out this strange but familiar thing. "This last one here. It's called a flamethrower. What ya do is squeeze this here…" I see his hand point to a certain part of this flamethrower. "and that'll give ya her flames, while this other one'll give out a blast of air." He points to another part close to what he pointed to the first one. I give him a nod to let him know I got it, sort of. He puts the flamethrower back in my locker, then looks over to something. I follow along and find it is a clock.

"Well, time t'show ya other thangs. If y'all have any questions about anythang, all of the answers will be given at the end. So, for now, just keep followin' me as ah tell ya 'bout thangs around this base. That alright?" I nod and give him a thumbs-up. Before following him, I look behind me to where I see my new weapons in my locker- more specifically, the flamethrower. For some reason, I'm getting a strange inkling that I've seen it or known it from somewhere, but what? Or when? "hey, ya comin', Pyro?" His voice distracts me and my thinking gets pushed away as I look back at him, nodding my head, then follow right behind him as he continues to give me the tour.

The next few places he showed me were the bathroom, kitchen, recreational room, and a few other places. Most of them I ignored and only remembered the important ones. The last place he showed me was a hallway, and in this hallway, there are doors on both sides. "This here hallway is where our rooms are located. Each one has our symbol on it, so we won't go in someone else's room by accident." The two of us walk down this hall and I could see pictures of each one in turn. I saw a foot with wings, a fist, a knife, and a wrench, but the others I wasn't sure what they were supposed to be- just like in that one room with the cabinet with two pictures on it- I wouldn't know what they were until someone explained it to me. I'll definitely remember asking him and the others about this because I really like looking at pictures and drawing them too.

As I was distracted with my thoughts, I bumped into him as he abruptly stopped for some reason. I stepped back and said I was sorry, rubbing the back of my head as I did so. To me, it looked like he didn't mind at all and excused it as no harm done. "Anyways, this here room is yours, Pyro." I see him look at one of the doors; I look too and see that it is the same symbol Miss Pauling gave me- fire. "You go ahead and settle in, but be sure to come to the meeting room in a half hour, alright? That should be plenty of time for you to unpack and come to the meetin' room." He pauses for a moment, probably to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything to say, I thought. "One more thang… after you meet everyone, y'all gonna need to see the Doc tomorrow, so after dinner you get some rest, alright? Also, this key here is yours now." He hands me a key, that I then pocket it in one of my suit's pouches.

Forgetting that this gas mask I have muffles my speech, I thank him for giving me the tour and that I'll be sure to remember, but his face once again shows confusion, which reminds me and I just give him a nod and a thumbs-up. "See ya soon then, Pyro. Y'know where t'go." After that, I retrieve the key I placed in a pouch and faced my door. I look at my symbol once more and then use my key to enter my new room. I step to the middle of the room now, so I can just turn around without moving. I face my door, that I had closed behind me, so I know where to stop. I looked around my room. There is a bed on the left side of my room that has two small nightstands, one on each side. Next, on a different wall, there is a wardrobe and a bookshelf. And finally, before facing my room door again, there is a desk and an open door that looks to lead into a bathroom. I wonder if all the rooms have bathrooms in them? I sigh. Guess this is another question I'll have to add to my list of questions.

Not wanting to keep my new co-workers waiting, I quickly unpack my things. Just as I was almost done unpacking, my eyes spot a plushie I've had for a long time, Balloonicorn. I take it into my arms for a hug that lasted a few minutes, then I gently place the plushie on my bed and tucked it in for a nap. It's been a long trip for Balloonicorn, I think to myself. Before heading down to where Engineer showed me to go to from his tour, I kissed Balloonicorn's forehead and walked to my door, then locked it behind me and pocketed my key in my pocket. Once there, I noticed a sign that read 'meeting room', that's located to the right of the door.

I let out a long sigh to calm myself before finally putting my hand on the door's handle, then I slowly opened the door and entered the room.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for all the Pyro speech thing, still trying to figure stuff out. Basically, Pyro's speech will be bold and will be readable like you are reading this now, except I'll let you guys know in the story…. Something like that.**


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